Rival's Ritual
by NickyFox13
Summary: A chance encounter changes Katie Bell's mind on a guy she never really liked. -Katie/Marcus-


**A/N: Written for Jg Rock's Rival Ships challenge and beta'd by the awesome EveryShiningStar.**

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**She scowled, keeping her hands balled up in her pockets. To say she was angry about losing the Quidditch match to _Slytherin _was a bit of an understatement. She mentally fumed while she shuffled towards the Gryffindor common room where she expected to vent her anger and scream about the injustice of losing to Slytherin with Angelina or Alicia. Leanne would try to calm the three loud chasers down with little success and would just sigh and try to tune them out by focusing on something else entirely. Just fantasizing about what she wanted to do with her time made her breathe easier.

"Bell, what are you doing alone?" The familiar, slightly raspy voice of Marcus Flint broke Katie of any pleasant thoughts and sent her into a rage she didn't particularly want to deal with.

"I don't want to talk to you right now, _Flint,_" Katie said, desperately trying to keep her voice even.

"Is it because you're pathetic team _lo_s_t_?" The snarl that emphasized the word 'lost' made Katie consider punching him on the mouth just so he could stop taunting her so harshly. She kept her mouth shut because she would be way too tempted to say something she would instantly regret.

"You're at a loss for words, aren't you, Bell? Just so shocked that Slytherin beat your team that you can't say anything?" Marcus said, smirking at Katie's balled fists.

"Of course, Flint, I'm completely silent out of…adoration of how….well your team played," she said.

"I'm flattered, truly," he responded, probably completely ignoring Katie's forced sarcasm.

"I don't like you. I don't want you to think I do," Katie explained.

"But you sounded so willing to compliment me," Marcus retorted.

"You're out of your mind to think such stupidity," she said and turned around to face something, _anything_, that wasn't Marcus. He was very close to grabbing her by the shoulder but she slapped his hand away before he could finish the movement.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

"I wasn't going to," he said lamely.

"Like I believe that stupid excuse," Katie said, dismissively. It was marcus's turn to be silent.

"Why can't you think of any beautiful retorts?"

"Because I don't mind losing to you," he admitted, firmly avoiding her eye contact. Katie was shocked at how sincere he sounded, although there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind thought that he was faking sincerity but she immediately banished that thought as soon as the thought entered her mind.

"I don't get what you're saying…" She said, her words not quite forming a question. Katie reluctantly stepping closer to read his facial features. Marcus pursed his lips.

"Maybe I'm saying something you need to interpret," he responded quietly.

"Cut the cryptic nonsense. Tell me what you mean," she said.

"I don't hate you," he said. Katie looked at him as if he uttered the most stupendously ridiculous statement in all of Hogwarts.

"You don't act like you don't hate me," she said.

"Because I'm a Slytherin.""Point. But that doesn't mean you have _any _right to fling sarcastic remarks at me every time we pass each other in the corridors.""Would you prefer that I said I fancy you?"

"When did this happen? The fancying part, I mean…" She asked incredulously after a few beats of awkward silence.

"Just recently. After your breakup with Oliver," Katie bristled at the reminder of her relationship with Oliver. She loved him when they were together and couldn't keep up that initial spark that brought them together. It was a mutual, albeit a painful, break up. She cried about the decision for a week and avoided Oliver by skipping practice for nearly two weeks.

"It would be creepy to fancy someone who isn't single," Marcus hastily added.

"Have you told anyone of this…secret of yours?" Katie asked, her confusion under control.

"Nope. This was the first time admitting it out loud," Marcus admitted. Katie blushed when she moved close enough that there was barely any space between their bodies. She stood up at her full height and pecked him on the cheek.

"This is our little secret," she said.

"Of course," he responded, although they didn't leave their spots.

"Are you gonna go your own way?" Katie asked.

"Nope," he said firmly.

"And why is that?"

"Because I want to ask you a few questions." Katie raised an eyebrow and tried not to act on her impulse to run away screaming from Marcus's sudden kindness.

"…I'm not creeped out. Not at all." She said at last. Marcus sighed, clearly exasperated.

"I'm not going to do anything creepy, I promise."

"How can I trust your word?"

"Damn it Katie, stop being so melodramatic!" Marcus said.

"I'll stop being melodramatic when you stop being so _creepy_," Katie explained with a cross of her arms and a pout. She didn't care how childish she sounded, she just wanted him to stop looming over her with such weird notions of questioning about friendship.

"Never mind," he said, defeated. He strode off. Katie dropped her arms to her sides and jogged to Marcus's side.

"I'm sorry I was such an idiot," she began and he smiled smugly.

"That sounds like something I can work with," Marcus said with a smirk. Katie lightly smacked him on his arm.

"Seriously, I'm willing to give your questioning a second chance," Katie said with a tone of voice that tried to convey authority. Marcus laughed, although Katie thought it distinctly sounded like a cackle.

"When should we begin?" asked Marcus, beginning to stride away from where they were standing.

"You decide," Katie replied, and listened.


End file.
